


Atop the Great Stone Mountain

by lionessvalenti



Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Age Difference, F/M, First Kiss, Getting Together, No robots, Post-Black Panther (2018), confusing feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23523757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionessvalenti/pseuds/lionessvalenti
Summary: Shuri doesn't like M'Baku, but she's willing to put up with him for the sake of Wakanda.
Relationships: M'Baku/Shuri (Marvel)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 112
Collections: Robot Rainbow 2020





	Atop the Great Stone Mountain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sholio](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sholio/gifts).



Shuri wasn't quite sure what to do with three Jabari tribe members in her lab, one of them being Lord M'Baku himself. They were touring the many places in Wakanda, and the lab was only one stop, but unlike other places in the country, here they looked out of place. Their leather kilts and furs were something from another era, sticking out a wounded thumb in a clean, modern environment.

The tour went quickly, Shuri trying not to rush it, but rushing it anyway. She had precious few hours in the day if she wanted to work and also make time for sleeping and a life. The only reason she did it at all was because T'Challa asked her to. It was important, he had said. He didn't often ask her to do anything she actively didn't want to, so when he did, she felt obliged to do it.

"Before you leave," Shuri said, holding out a box to Lord M'Baku. "I have a gift for you."

He didn't reply as he took it from her, but he didn't quite look at the box. His gaze was set on her as he opened it, his eyes slightly narrowed. He glanced down at the contents and lifted the kimoyo beads with a single finger. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Shuri shrugged. "Whatever you want. You can keep track of your calendar."

The corner of M'Baku's mouth twitched, like he was trying not to laugh. "Will it even work atop the mountain?"

"It will work anywhere."

"Anywhere."

"Yes."

He eyed the kimoyo beads a bit more carefully. "How?"

"Does it matter?" Shuri asked, sharper than intended. She took a beat and added, more softly, "They will work. It will be a more efficient way for you to communicate with my brother, and if you and your tribe leaders like them, we'll get you more, for all your people."

"And if my people don't want to be connected to the rest of the world?" he asked..

"Then send them back. I will find someone who wants them."

M'Baku considered her for a moment, and Shuri couldn't help but feel judged as he watched her. She hadn't forgotten the disdain Jabari had for her technology, and the way M'Baku had singled her out on challenge day. There was a tingle beneath her skin as she remembered being humiliated in front of the tribes and the bright, hot anger that followed, but she tried not to let it show on her face. T'Challa had expressed the need for respect. This was the first time since the Jabari had retreated to the mountains that any sort of bridge between them had been attempted. It was important that it went well.

"I will try it," M'Baku said finally, and pocketed the beads into a small pouch on his belt. "Thank you."

The tension in Shuri's shoulders eased a little. "You're welcome."

The Jabari left, and Shuri went back to work.

* * *

M'Baku returned two weeks later. It was early in the day, and the usually busy lab was only occupied by a few people. Shuri was one of them.

"Are you lost?" she asked as M'Baku approached before she remembered she was supposed to be respectful. She had meant it as a joke, but she wasn't sure if he'd take it that way.

Thankfully, he laughed. "No. I came to see you." He held out his hand, adorned with the kimoyo beads. "I want you to tell me how these work."

"You can't use them? I don't believe it, they're very easy. It's intuitive." Shuri perched herself on a stool and reached for her tea. The mug was hot between her hands. "Use it more and they'll begin to adapt to you." 

He rolled his eyes. "I can use it fine. It's a good piece of technology. I want to know how it works."

"You realize that isn't necessary, right? Most people know how to use things when they don't know how they work. Televisions, the internet, there are even people who don't think about the way a simple radio functions. And it's fine."

"No, it's not fine. You hand me a spear, I understand that it's sharp and the stick gives me space from my enemy, and leverage. " M'Baku grabbed a second stool and pulled it closer to the edge of the counter where Shuri was working. "You designed this, right?"

"The version you have, yes. There was a version of a bracelet communication device that existed before I started working here--"

"Were you still in the womb?" M'Baku asked, a teasing glint in his eye.

It was Shuri's turn to roll her eyes. "Very funny. I developed what we use now." She didn't add that she was _twelve_ when they rolled out the first version of the modern kimoyo beads. It seemed unnecessary, even as she wanted to prove her qualifications to run Wakanda's technology.

He nodded. "Will you show me how it works, then?"

"No." Shuri didn't look away. She maintained eye contact with him. "It's not something I can do in even an hour and I'm busy."

M'Baku gave her one of his long stares. It made her stomach tighten, but she still refused to look away. "You don't like me much, do you?" he asked.

She pursed her lips as she tried to find the best response. "I respect you as a good and caring leader. I appreciate what you have done for Wakanda and for my brother. I would never want to say anything that would jeopardize that."

A fine answer that Shuri was positive her mother would have been proud of. Honest, but not rude.

M'Baku blinked a couple of times, and then began to laugh, his head kicking back as the sound of his laughter somehow managed to fill the large room. "That was a very long _no_ , princess."

"You mocked me on challenge day!" Shuri exclaimed far too loudly. The few other people in the lab turned to look. She lowered her voice a little, but it was no less stressed. "It disgusted you that I oversaw Wakanda's technology and that I scoff at tradition. If that's how you feel, why would I even concern myself with liking you?"

"You _do_ scoff at tradition," M'Baku said. He was no longer laughing, but there was still a brightness to his eyes. This amused him. "But I was... I was wrong about the technology. You were not handed this responsibility lightly and I see that now. I've only seen some of your work, but it is magnificent."

Shuri stared, dumbfounded. "Oh."

"I came to ask you to teach me more. Show me the full potential of what you're doing." M'Baku grinned. "If you can find time for me in your busy schedule."

"Of -- of course," Shuri replied, without really thinking about it. She'd never been so thrown off by someone before. "Not today, I have a lot, but maybe next week?"

"I need to check my calendar." M'Baku jangled his kimoyo beads. "But I'll contact you. We'll set it up."

Shuri actually smiled. "Then I look forward to it, Lord M'Baku."

He stood up, towering over her. "Please, cease the titles, princess. You can call me by my name."

"Then you can too." She held out her hand to him. "Shuri."

He shook her hand. "M'Baku."

"It's nice to meet you, finally."

* * *

It started with twice-monthly visits to the lab. M'Baku would stop by when he came into Birnin Zana for other business. Shuri showed him what she was working on, and he would ask questions, or even occasionally make suggestions. As the time went on, Shuri found herself looking forward to his visits. M'Baku was funny and insightful. He gave her a different way of looking at a problem. It was useful to have someone from outside her bubble giving input.

One day, Shuri caught him eyeing the newest prototype for the Black Panther suit. She elbowed him in the side. "Do you want one?"

"I am not the Black Panther," M'Baku replied.

"I could make a gorilla themed suit. It won't give you enhanced abilities, but it would protect you. And look cool."

He laughed softly. "I don't think I would like a suit. It's not very forgiving. Around here." He motioned to his midsection.

"Oh, please. But if you prefer, I could upgrade the armor you already have. Every warrior in Wakanda has some technology used in the Black Panther suits. Be it the shields, or the protective armor within. It all comes from the same place. We're always finding new ways to weave the vibranium into our defenses."

"And your weapons?" M'Baku asked, eyebrows raised.

"And the weapons. Would you like to see them? The weapons, I mean." Shuri wasn't sure why she felt the need to clarify. T'Challa had given M'Baku an all clear. If the Jabari wanted to raise an attack against Wakanda, they would have the knowledge to do so. T'Challa trusted that this wouldn't be an issue. The more time Shuri spent with M'Baku, she trusted it, too.

She _liked_ him. She enjoyed his company. She missed him when he wasn't around, and when he was there, her feelings toward him constantly caught her by surprise.

"If you're working on something new," M'Baku said.

"I'm always working on something new," Shuri said and grabbed him around the forearm to drag him to her sand table. "It's still in the design phase, but it's something I can easily make work." She hit a few buttons and pulled up what looked like a simple spear.

"I've seen your warriors use these," M'Baku said. "It's hardly new."

"I didn't make these for my warriors, I made them for yours. It's sharp, the stick gives you distance from your enemies, and leverage."

He laughed, a low rumble. "You invented the spear now, did you?"

"I invented this one," Shuri said brightly. "The head is made from vibranium, and when it is lodged into your enemy, it gives them a shock. Like a taser. I thought I'd start them off with something simple. I don't want to push the Jabari too far out of their comfort zone."

"No." M'Baku shook his head, and waved the design away. "Spears we have. If you're going to make us weapons, don't reinvent the spear. We _can_ be challenged. Make us something new."

Shuri wasn't put off by her design being rejected outright. It wouldn't be the first project scrapped in the design phase. He was right. She had underestimated the Jabari's ability to grow and change. "What sort of weapon would you like, then? What could your army use?"

"Something light. Easy to carry, or even store away. The paths on the mountain are narrow, and we walk in single file lines. We need to be as compact as possible."

She hadn't taken the different terrain into account. The narrow paths, often covered in snow, or the deep caverns they lived in. Her thoughtlessness hadn't shown in the spear design, but if she tried to make something more complex, or even worse, the new armor she had suggested, it would have been deeply obvious.

"Do you think I could visit the mountain?" Shuri asked. "I would love to talk to your people, to get to know them, to see what it is they want from Wakandan technology. I don't think I could be truly inspired until I know what they need."

M'Baku looked surprised, but he smiled. "Now that is a good idea."

* * *

It took a few months to arrange the trip, as it quickly became a diplomatic affair. It was not simply Shuri going to visit the Jabari to discuss their needs, it was the princess going to negotiate weapons with a tribe outside of Wakanda. As much as she tried to convince them it wasn't like that, the tribal elders wouldn't see it any other way.

She was accompanied by two Dora Milaje, and the company was nice for the trip, but Shuri hoped they wouldn't be too aggressive in their protection. This was still, after all, about unity and working together.

When they arrived on the mountain, Shuri remembered watching M'Baku and the other leaders in her lab, the way they looked so out of place. Now she was the one who stuck out, in her long pants and nylon snow boots. Even her traditional traveling blanket seemed strange in bright blue, compared the natural, muted colors worn by the Jabari.

It was easy, one-on-one with M'Baku. Now that she was being stared at by hundreds of people, she wasn't sure if this was such a good idea after all. Would they want to talk to her? Would they see her as only a child the way M'Baku had?

All of Shuri's concerns dissipated during the welcome feast. For being an official event with the tribal leaders and their families, it was bright and relaxed, and even her two guards seemed to be enjoying themselves. Over the main course, a thick filet of fish that had been cooked inside a huge leaf with roasted root vegetables, she caught M'Baku's eye at the head of the table and winked.

He grinned back at her. He'd been pleasant in the lab, but here in his own space, he seemed even more relaxed. His smile made her warm, and she couldn't help but beam down at her fish as she began to eat.

After the meal, Shuri found M'Baku in the crowd. It was difficult, each person she passed wanting to introduce themselves and ask questions about her sweater or her kimoyo beads. They were all so kind and Shuri wondered why she'd ever been so intimidated.

"I'm so happy we did this," she said. "Your people are wonderful and I can't wait to get started."

"And where do you want to start?" he asked. 

"With you," Shuri said right away, and felt her face go hot as the words passed her lips. "Or anyone willing to give me a tour. I guess I thought you'd know it best."

He shrugged. "There are elders who have lived in these mountains for many years more than I have. They could traverse the mountain blindfolded. But if you want me, who am I to say no." He held his arm out to her. "We could start now."

Shuri linked her arm with his, and he led her out of the great room. There were narrow stone hallways that had been carved inside the mountain, a maze that was begging to be conquered. While Shuri struggled to memorize every step, M'Baku moved with ease.

As they got further away from the crowd, Shuri realized this was the first time she'd ever been alone with M'Baku. The lab was never truly empty, none of their visits completely private. It was exciting, and maybe a little scary.

"Where to first?" Shuri asked. She had no idea where he was leading her. 

He raised a teasing eyebrow. "To my quarters."

"Your quarters?" She tried not to let her volume get too loud or to sound so shocked. It was a reasonable success. "Isn't that a bit forward?"

"Only to show you the best view. I promise."

They climbed stone steps, Shuri ahead of him, as like the paths, the stairs only allowed one person in width. She had a smaller frame and might have been able to walk shoulder to shoulder with someone her size, but M'Baku was far too broad to even attempt it.

"What do you do when you come across someone going down as you go up?" she asked over her shoulder.

"We pass very carefully. And sideways." He brought his hand to her hip, as if to steady her, but she hadn't lost her balance. "When you reach the top of the stairs, turn right."

The room M'Baku led her to was modestly sized for the leader of the Jabari, the massive bed taking up the majority of the space. It was piled high with furs and knitted blankets. There was a fire already burning in the hearth, but it was low from the lack of attendance. M'Baku added a couple logs. They were properly dried out and caught fire almost immediately.

"Is your very impressive fireplace what you wanted to show me?" Shuri asked, pulling her most unimpressed face.

He chuckled. "No. Come here."

Crossing the room, M'Baku opened a second set of doors. The cold air from the mountaintop blew into the room, as the doors led to a balcony. Even from a few steps back, Shuri could see all of Wakanda laying out before her, the faint lights of the Golden City sparkling in the distance. 

"Oh," she breathed as she walked into the cold. She rested her hands against the stone railing, and it felt like ice beneath her fingers. Up this high, the stars seemed to shine even brighter in the clear night sky, closer to her than ever. "It's beautiful."

M'Baku moved behind her, his hand again on her hip. "Do you want to know my favorite part?"

Shuri's heart began to pound. It would be so easy to lean back and rest against him. He was already so close, she could feel the heat of him against the cold. She could be so much warmer wrapped up in his arms.

"Show me," she said, trying to shake the thoughts from her mind.

M'Baku rested his other hand on her shoulder and turned her toward the west. "Do you see those lights?"

There were several steady lights atop a tower far away, though not quite so far off as the city. Shuri recognized it immediately.

"My lab?"

"My favorite place in Wakanda." His thumb brushed against the side of her neck. "That's where you are."

Shuri turned around and looked up at him. She knew he was tall, but suddenly he seemed to loom over her, filling up her senses, her entire space and being. "You didn't like me a few months ago."

"I didn't _know_ you a few months ago." M'Baku grinned. "And you didn't like me either. But I believe we've come to an understanding."

She reached up and wrapped her arms as well as she could around his neck. Her arms weren't long enough to wrap all the around. "I believe we have."

He titled his head down and there was a tingle beneath Shuri's skin as he paused, lingering in that glorious moment when she knew she was about to be kissed. M'Baku did not disappoint, his arms sliding around her waist, pulling her closer as he pressed their lips together.

Everything was warm, from pressing herself against M'Baku's body, to the heat radiating from within. She opened her mouth, trying to get deeper, but her height compared to his was getting in her way. As if reading her mind, M'Baku grasped her around the bottom and hoisted her up. Shuri wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed his neck.

"This is going to be a national incident," she whispered.

"It's only kissing," he replied, nuzzling his face against her ear. M'Baku, the Great Gorilla, _nuzzled_ her. 

"Only kissing?" Shuri asked, turning her face toward the bed through the open doors. It struck her then that perhaps the Dora had been sent to prevent exactly this from happening. It was too late to go back now. She glanced back at M'Baku with an impish grin. "Is that all?"

He laughed, and pressed against him as she was, she felt the vibration of it through her entire body, including right between her legs. Her teasing moments before was now a pressing need. He kissed her softly. "You're cold, princess. Let me warm you up."

She squeezed her legs around him. "Please do."

And M'Baku carried her back inside.


End file.
